As Told By Shifty Dingo: Apple Thieves
by CanzetYote
Summary: The Adventures Of Blinky Bill. The Apple Thieves episode season 2, episode 16 as told through the first person perspective of Shifty Dingo.


_This story is basically the Apple Thieves episode of The Adventures Of Blinky Bill as told from the first person POV of Shifty Dingo. If you have been following my Blinky Bill fics, you can easily tell Shifty Dingo is my favorite character. Anyway, this contains some extra scenes in it, mainly ones revolving around Shifty's relationship with Nutsy Koala. All characters are copyright to Yoram Gross. Enjoy!_

It was a very warm and sunny day in the outback. Blinky, Nutsy, Flap, Splodge, Marcia and I were trekking through a forest and we all felt very tired. Being separated from Greenpatch and having to go out through all that wilderness had taken a toll on our physical health as well as our spiritual health. Even I was beginning to wonder if we'd make it home in one piece.

"Aw, sleeping on the ground is no fun." Blinky complained.

"I wouldn't mind that if we could just stay in one place for a while." Nutsy replied. I couldn't help but agree with Nutsy there, I nodded a bit.

"Not me. I'm hungry but I don't see any cheese growing on these trees." Marcia complained. I rolled my eyes a bit. Miss Magpie once taught us that cheese came from milk which came from cows so I thought about making a sarcastic remark to Marcia but kept quiet because I didn't want her punching me or biting me.

"Trees, trees and more trees." Flap whined.

"Oh, I'm sick of gumleaves. I'd like something different to eat." Nutsy said, throwing some gumleaves on the ground.

"Do we all." Splodge agreed.

My eyes just lit up. Now was the perfect time for me to prove to the gang that I wasn't useless, "Nutsy, your wish is my command. I'll find you something better than gumleaves." I said, running into a clearing. I could hear Blinky telling me to stop but I felt like I needed to prove myself so I kept running until I tripped over something. I looked down at my feet and saw a shiny red apple. Then I looked all around and there were apples everywhere. I squealed with joy and wagged my big bushy tail. I was so excited that I just gathered all the apples in my arms, not bothering to check for worms or bruises on the fruit as I ran back to the Blinky Bill gang.

"Look! Shifty's coming back and he's carrying some balls!" Marcia shouted.

"Maybe he's not so nuts about you, Nutsy. Maybe he's just plain nuts!" Flap said, making a rather stupid face at me.

"These are apples, Flap." Nutsy corrected the platypus, "Where did you find them, Shifty?" Nutsy asked.

I was going to reply but before I could get a single word in Blinky blurted out, "I bet he stole them!"

"He stole them?" Marcia shreiked.

Stole. I felt as if a venom-tipped dagger had been plunged into my heart. I thought the Blinky Bill gang had trusted me. I just stood there in utter shock and silence, trying to register what Blinky just said to me in my brain.

"We told you not to steal. You just take them right back where you got them from." Blinky yelled. My ears wilted and I felt the dagger stab into my heart a second time, venom starting to circulate in my bloodstream. This was the thanks I got for providing my friends with food? A lump formed in my throat and I felt my tear ducts open. I knew for certain I was going to cry.

Nutsy gasped in shock, "Blinky! You don't know that he stole them!" Ah, I was so glad to at least have Nutsy on my side. She was my princess in shining armor.

"Course I do, he's a sneaky dingo!" Blinky yelled.

"Yeah, dingoes always steal." Splodge nodded in agreement. The venom was now making me feel sick to my stomach and I could feel the salty tears burn my eyes like unforgiving acid. I was only trying to help.

"And I suppose kangaroos and koalas don't steal." Nutsy said as she walked up to me and pulled me into a warm hug. I could feel her arms wrap around me and I rested my head on Nutsy's shoulder and began to cry it all out.

"Well, um." Blinky began nervously but my heart was so full of greif I couldn't help but interrupt, "I...I...I...I...didn't steal the apples, Nutsy. I found them lying on the ground. I tried the please you but you're all just being horrible!" I choked through my sobs, hot tears spilling from my eyes and dripping down my face.

I could tell Nutsy was very angry with my friends by her tone, "And it's not fair, you should be ashamed of yourselves!" she yelled at them.

"Yeah, well I guess I believe you Shifty." Blinky apologized.

"Yeah, me too. Now can we go and not steal some more?" Splodge asked.

I could feel Nutsy gently brushing the tear trails running down my face with her fingers, her gentle touch calming me down. Nutsy thought a bit, "You know, Shifty. I don't think they apologized well enough"

I shook my head, "No, Nutsy. It's okay, I forgive them."

"Well I sure don't. Blinky, you give Shifty a hug and tell him you won't ever do it again!" Nutsy ordered the koala.

"Me? Hug Shifty? Why would I do that?" Blinky asked. Nutsy simply cracked her knuckles and gave Blinky a death glare. Blinky looked worried, he knew how scary Nutsy could get when she was truly mad. Blinky walked up to me and pulled me into a tight hug. I blinked, rather confused at what just happened. It felt rather awkward, getting a hug from Blinky but I just rolled with it.

"I'm very sorry, Shifty. I promise I won't ever accuse you of stealing again." Blinky said.

I smiled at Blinky, "So you won't accuse me of stealing anymore?" I asked, my floppy ears perking up.

"Of course not." Blinky said rather nervously.

"Good, cause next time I catch you hurting Shifty, I'll punch you into next week, Blinky!" Nutsy threatened.

Flap chuckled a bit, "Maybe...it's the other way around. Nutsy is nuts for Shifty!"

And so, the 6 of us headed off into the heart of the apple orchard.

"Wow! Apples for days!" Blinky exclaimed with excitement.

"But what about the humans?" Nutsy asked. Good call there, Nutsy. I remembered the time back at the farm where I stayed behind as lookout. After all, there was a chance the humans had guns.

"We can deal with a few humans." Blinky said, approaching the orchard without fear.

"Now Blinky, don't go starting any trouble." Nutsy warned him.

"I won't" Blinky replied, "I just want more apples." he chuckled.

Suddenly, we looked down at the orchard and saw dogs run by.

"Dogs!" Splodge shouted.

Blinky suddenly looked nervous, "No sense in all of us going down to get the apples. Only one of us should go."

Suddenly, a jolt of courage ran through my little body. I felt like I needed to prove myself once again to the Blinky Bill gang, that I was something more than dead weight that they perceived me as, "I'll go!" I shouted. And so, Blinky gave me his hanky and I ran at full speed, jumping the fence. There was something in the back of my brain that told me how crazy I was for volunteering but the adrenaline in my body was pumping so fast I couldn't think in a clear and reasonable manner.

"Oh, remember Shifty. Just take the apples that are already on the ground." Nutsy told me. I heeded Nutsy's warning but unlike last time, I began taking my sweet time to gather all the apples I could find. This time, I carefully examined each apple for worms, bruises and signs of mold and rottenness. After all, I would feel terrible if I made my friends sick by accident. I picked up the healthiest apples I could find and gathered them all in the hanky. If the dogs confronted me about it, maybe I could talk my way out of the mess. After all, I was fluent in canine tongue.

Afterwards, I brought the apples back to my friends, "Eat up, everyone. Lunch is served!" I chuckled.

"Wow, that's quite a few apples you got there, Shifty." Flap said.

"Don't eat all of them, you big dummy!" Marcia yelled at Flap.

Nutsy smiled at me, "Thanks for all your help, Shifty. We were all starting to get real hungry."

I blushed a little, "Aww...you're just saying that so I look like a hero."

"No, Shifty. I really mean it." Nutsy replied, giving me a hug.

Splodge took a bite out of his, "Wow, this is a pretty good apple. Looks you got the picks of the litter."

Blinky smiled, "Yeah, it's really good you took your time and examined the apples."

"Thanks, I'm trying to be braver and more assertive." I chuckled, taking a bite from an apple. I felt the sweet juicy taste of the apple on my tongue, trickling down my throat. It was so pleasant and sweet, rich and full of nutrients and vitamins. It was a healthy snack that we all enjoyed although Marcia complained a little that it wasn't cheese, she ate some too. About an hour ticked by and we were all laying down, our bellies full of food.

"And when it gets dark, I'll sneak down and get more apples." I said, feeling confident.

"And then we'd better leave." Blinky added with a sigh, "But I'd hate to leave all these apples."

Suddenly, I felt Marcia hop up on my head, "What are those humans doing?" she asked. I turned my attention to the humans down in the valley.

Nutsy giggled, "It looks as if they're tying up the trees."

"I reckon they might be making spider webs." Flap said.

"Human webs." Splodge corrected Flap.

"What would humans catch in a web?" Nutsy asked.

"Well, unless he's very careful when he goes back for apples, they might catch Shifty." Blinky replied.

We watched the humans set traps and my little heart was pounding in my chest. I felt nervous, but also excited at the same time. After a while, I gathered up the courage to speak with Nutsy, "Nutsy...can I have a talk with you in private?"

Nutsy smiled at me, "Of course, Shifty." Nutsy looked ovdr to Blinky, Splodge, Flap and Marcia, "Shifty and I will be back in a few minutes, okay?"

The koala, kangaroo, platypus and mouse nodded in unison and Nutsy and I walked out into a nearby clearing.

"What do you want to talk with me about, Shifty?" Nutsy asked me.

I smiled at her, "I just want to thank you for standing up for me back there. Not many would do something like that for me."

"Your welcome, Shifty." Nutsy replied.

The next thing I knew, I could feel myself choke up and my vision mist up with tears. I looked at Nutsy with tear-filled eyes and she walked up to me and put her arms around me, "Shifty, why...why are you crying?"

I sniffled and wiped my eyes, "If...if anything happens to me, I...want you to tell my family that they mean...so much to me. If the humans shoo-"

"Don't talk like that, Shifty. You're not going to die." Nutsy said, hugging me.

I choked back a sob and whimpered softly, my floppy ears wilting, "I'm so scared, Nutsy. The reason I picked those apples is because I wanted to get you guys food. But now...I feel like its my duty to help you guys out. I...i need a shot at redemption."

"Oh, Shifty." Nutsy replied, holding me. I slowly opened my eyes and we gazed deep into each others eyes. Nutsy leaned forward and kissed me on the nose. I could feel myself blushing, "It will be all right, Shifty." Nutsy smiled at me. I just hugged her in return. And so, we returned back to our friends and I smiled nervously at them.

"What did you two talk about back there?" Blinky asked.

"It really isn't any of your business, Blinky." Nutsy replied, rather annoyed with him.

"Oh, I get it." Flap giggled, trying to make a kissy face with his beak.

"Just ignore them, Nutsy." I told Nutsy as I rested my paw on her shoulder.

It wasn't long before the humans cleared out and Blinky notified me, "The humans have gone."

"Ah, good. Then I'll go and get some more apples and I'll need you hanky to carry them in." I replied and Blinky handed me his hanky, "Thanks."

And so I took off to get the next batch when I heard Blinky yell at me, "Be careful of those ropes and things!"

"Don't worry, I'm a sneaky dingo, remember?" I replied sarcastically as I lept over the fence with the handkerchief in my hand.

And so I approached the traps with caution, first duckimg under a rope. Adrenaline was surging through my little body and my heart was racing. I felt totally alert and confident. I then checked a snare and jumped over it. So far, so good. Danny taught me well at trap evasion. I then stepped over a rope and ducked under some nets. Afterwards, I jumped over another rope. Now all that was left was the electric fence. I had come too far to just turn tail and head back so I approached with caution, ducking under it and crawling. I was almost out when I could feel jolts surging through my tail. Next thing I know, I'm being electrocuted, "OW OW OW OW OWW!" I scream as I leap into the air and fell into a snare trap. My heart just sunk. I was trapped by the humans and there was no way out. I was in such a state of shock I didn't even bother to struggle against the ropes.

The farmer approached me and my brain was racing a mile a minute. What if he was gonna shoot me? What if he was gonna sell me on the exotic pet market? I couldn't stop worrying. He picked up the bag I was in and carried me over to the barn and I listened to his words as he spoke, "Steal my apples, will you? I wouldn't mind if you just took a few but I've been losing 6 to 8 crates of apples a night so its off to the zoo with you in the morning." The farmer said, throwing me in the barn and locking the door.

I whimpered softly, I was still in a state of shock. The electrical burns on my tail was nothing compared to my emotional pain. The thought of never seeing my friends again, never seeing my family again, being all alone in a cage surrounded by humans and strange animals. It felt as if my soul, my entire spiritual being was being raped. My little heart was broken into pieces and I couldn't stop myself from crying. I wanted Nutsy with me right then, to hold me and take my pain away with her warm hugs. I took Blinky's hanky out and used it to wipe my eyes. I then got up and navigated the barn, looking for something to soothe the burn on my tail when I spotted a nearby aloe plant. I remembered a lesson Miss Magpie taught us about aloe. I tore a branch off and cut into it with my claw, getting some aloe juice on my claw. I then began rubbing my tail tip with my aloe-soaked claw, wincing in pain as the juice stung my burn wound.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door and a young human boy with brown hair walked into the barn with me, "Here, I got some water for you." The boy said, setting down a water dish for me. I looked at him with an expression of horror and fear on my face but he just knelt down and smiled. The boy reached his hand over and I slowly and cautiously approached him. He had some food in his hand and I think he felt sorry for me. I took the food and he gently patted my head and stroked my floppy ears. I began to relax a little and rolled onto my back and the human boy began scratching my tummy. My leg started kicking out and my tongue lolled out of my mouth in satisfaction.

The boy smiled at me, "You poor thing, I wish I could keep you but my dad says you're a wild animal. Oh well...you don't seem so vicious." I just wagged my tail at the boy and he took out some gauze, "Here, this is for your tail." And so, the boy bandaged up my tail and I smiled at him and gave him a lick on the face.

Suddenly I heard the farmer's voice calling out, "Son, I need some help with mowing the grass!"

"Coming, dad!" The boy called out and so, he patted me on the head one last time and ran out of the barn, locking it behind him. I sighed, once again alone and I looked at the skylight window, it was beginning to get dark. It felt like my heart was being slowly swallowed up by shadows. I was terrified of the dark and I was also very uncomfortable with being stuck in a barn full of rusty pointed things. It was so surreal, almost like I was trapped in a nightmare.

A few hours went by and I just couldn't stop crying. The moonlight shone on the warm salty tears rolling down my muzzle, making them sparkle like diamonds as they reached the tip of my nose. The sparkling tears fell off my face and onto the floor of the barn as I whimpered softly. Suddenly, my tail began to itch and I pulled the bandage off it. It was slowly getting better but still hurt if I touched it.

I looked around the barn, dead silence, completely alone, never so terrified in my life. My heart raced a mile a minute as my brain began playing tricks on me what horrible night monsters could be lurking in the dark shadows of the barn ready to devour me. I was just a ball of nerves so I decided to sing to myself as I choked back tears in order to break the silence:

_When your day is long and the night  
The night is yours alone  
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on  
Don't let yourself go  
Everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes  
_  
My singing voice wasn't the greatest, especially while I was crying. I eventually cried myself to sleep and the next thing I knew, I was reaching for Nutsy but the more and more I reached for her the further and further she got away. Then I saw my family, I ran towards them when suddenly, a cage slammed down on me and I found myself trapped behind bars. I screamed and cried and pulled at the bars begging to be let out when suddenly, I looked behind me and saw a tiger with massive fangs breathing down my neck. I could feel its drool dripping upon my face and neck and I woke up, my little heart pounding in my chest. I felt something wet under me and I just realized that I was so scared I peed myself in my sleep when I was having the nightmare. I felt really embarassed about it but I was glad no one was around. I began to cry again, an unstoppable river of tears running down my face for about an hour.

I looked up at the barn's skylight and sniffled, "Oh, it's nearly morning and then they're taking me to the zoo." Hot tears were once again dripping from my eyes like acid rain, "And I didn't steal 8 crates of apples, I only picked a few off the ground...I..." I paused to sniffle and rub the salty tears out of my eyes.

Suddenly, barking dogs caught my attention and I heard a voice, "Nice doggies, here boys come and get it."

I lept up on a ledge and peered out the skylight window to see a fat short man and a tall skinny man outside.

"Nice bones tonight, doggies." The skinny man said. It suddenly hit me that these 2 men must be the zookeepers who were going to get me so I whimpered, "Oh, they've come to take me to the zoo."

I heard the dogs bark again and I watched the short fat man playing fetch with the dogs.

"That should keep our friends quiet for a while." The skinny man said.

The short man spoke in a thick Russian accent, "Good, now lets head for orchard."

" Tonight we steal apples straight from the shed." The skinny man said.

"From the shed." The short man repeated.

"This will be our last chance." The skinny man explained.

I felt completely enraged, "So, that's it. They have been stealing lots of apples and I've got the blame." I punched the air a few times in anger, "Its its its not fair!"

Suddenly, I heard a loud crash, "What's that? Is someone there?"

I turned my attention to a nearby scarecrow with a jack-o-lantern head. The first thought that popped into my mind was the legend of sleepy hollow. I remember Danny used to read me that story in bed sometimes and it made me grow a very strong dislike of pumpkins and decapitation. I cautiously approached the dummy,

"Shifty, be quiet!" A voice called out from the scarecrow's direction.

I gulped in fear, "Uh...uhh...what are you?" I asked. So I jumped under a nearby basket and cowered under it. Eventually, I gathered up enough courage to lift the lid, "What are you? Don't hurt me now. Can you talk? Does it talk? It doesn't move. Maybe, you're not real." I said to myself.

I felt much more relaxed as I got out from under the basket and approached the scarecrow, "You're one of those human statue things." I chuckled, "Yeah. Phew, and to think I was scared of you. Fancy being scared of you." I laughed as I poked at the scarecrow.

"Stop it, Shifty" The voice called out again. I let out a yelp of terror, my heart racing in my chest as I ran back to the basket and shivered uncontrollably under it. I was so freaked out the thing knew my name.

"Stop it, Shifty or you'll bring the dogs." The voice called out again.

I cautiously lifted the lid again, "It sounds like Blinky." I said.

"It is me, Shifty. We've come to rescue you. Splodge has come to keep the dogs busy while we get you out!" Blinky said.

I felt completely overjoyed. Finally, I knew I wasn't going to be shipped off to the zoo. My bushy tail started wagging and I smiled. I was so happy I began humming softly to myself this one human tune. I didn't know the name of the song, but it went something about a memory being sold and an angel in a centerfold and in one part it went na-na na-na-na-na na-na-na-na-na na-na-na-na-na. I looked over at the scarecrow and I got an idea so I hid behind it. I was going to get sweet revenge on Blinky for making me cry so the scarecrow would make a perfect prank. I forgave Blinky, but still felt the need to get even.

As soon as they opened the door, Blinky jumped back at the sight of the scarecrow. Priceless. I just laughed a little and smiled, "Quickly, help me get him out."

"Well, its not real." Blinky said, feeling relieved.

I smiled, "No, but it might come in handy to scare the dogs."

"Don't worry, Splodge has taken care of them." Blinky explained to me.

As if on cue, Splodge came hopping up to us, "Not really, the dogs are already busy eating a big bone so let's get out of here before they finish."

"No, I wanna clear my name first." I replied.

"Your what?" Blinky asked.

My eyes once again filled up with bitter tears, I was surprised my tear ducts were still working after crying so hard, "They accused me of stealing all the apples but it was the other humans who did it." I replied, trying so hard to hold back the sobs.

"The humans?" Blinky asked me.

I nodded, "Yeah, they're in that big shed stealing lots of apples right now." I replied angrily.

"Good, then we leave by different way." Marcia replied.

I looked at Marcia with tears glistening in my eyes, "But then I won't be able to prove I'm innocent."

"That's right." Blinky agreed with me.

"So what? Let's go!" Splodge replied rather rudely.

"No, think" Blinky answered, "Who are they going to blame if we're not here?"

Nutsy noticed that tears in my eyes so she put her arm around me, "The other humans, perhaps? After all, they are the thieves."

"No, they'll blame the animals that do live here!" Blinky explaing as he began listing off the local wildlife. "The possums, the wallabies, the poor old bandicoots, the wombats..."

Nutsy and I nodded our heads in agreement. I looked over to Flap and noticed the tears rolling down his face. I blinked back a few tears of my own.

"They'll hunt them down and put them in the zoo. Now is that fair?" Blinky asked.

"NO!" I shouted in anger.

"No, its not fair. And we're going to do something about it." Blinky said.

And so, we went near the shed and watched the thieves from afar.

"So many apples, won't they notice?" The fat crook asked in his Russian accent.

"Not if we scatter a lot around and take bites out of some and leave it as clues." The skinny crook replied, biting into an apple. I rolled my eyes, two words: DNA evidence.

"I see, people think animals did it. Kangaroos, dingoes, koalas..." The fat crook said, biting an apple.

"Yeah, they'll be searching the bush while we're selling this lot in town." The skinny crook laughed. My blood was boiling, if I were an adult dingo, I would have mauled those jerks real good.

"The nerve of them!" Splodge growled.

"We've got to do something." Blinky said.

"But what?" Splodge asked.

"Well, if we could just get the dogs to see these thieves, they'd catch them for us." Blinky said. I rolled my eyes, knowing the truth about the dogs.

"That's easy done, I can do that." Splodge said as he hopped off towards to dogs.

"Yeah but...but Blinky." I started. Blinky simply hushed me and I spoke again, "But the dogs-" Blinky hushed me again. Once again, Blinky was treating me like the baby of the group. My feelings were a little hurt.

"What about the dogs?" Nutsy asked. I smiled, glad that someone was paying attention to me.

"They're in with the crooks." I explained to them.

Blinky felt like an idiot for not listening to me, "Oh, the rotten apples."

"They get paid off in bones." I explained further.

Meanwhile, Splodge was trying to provoke the dogs by grabbing the bone from them, "Hey dogs, fetch!" And so, Splodge took off with the bone with the dogs chasing him. He passed by the crooks and gave the bone to the skinny one. The skinny crook just gave the dogs the bone and petted them as a reward, "Nice doggies." I slapped my paw to my forehead, if only they listened to me earlier before rushing in.

We all moaned and complained about the backfiring of the plan.

"Well that didn't work." Blinky said. I wanted so badly to tell Blinky word-for-word "I told you so" but kept quiet cause I didn't want to start another fight.

"True, but Splodge was very brave." Nutsy said.

We all listened in on the crooks. "Did I really see that? A kangaroo trying to steal a dog's bone?" The fat crook asked.

"You sure did, lucky for us too" the skinny crook replied, "He left his footprints everywhere. Bitten apples and roo prints. It looked like a roo stole the apples." Both of the crooks laughed. My blood was boiling. Even though Splodge made fun of me at times, I'd never wish him away to the zoo. If anyone should be locked up, it was those two.

"Let's get out of here." The fat crook said.

"Just a few more apples then we hit the road." The skinny one replied.

Blinky himself was also very irritated, "Did you hear that? Now they're going to blame Splodge."

"And they're getting ready to leave." Flap added.

"We've got to do something." Blinky said.

"But if the dogs won't bark, how are the humans going to catch the thieves?" Nutsy asked. I was wondering the exact same thing.

"We'll wake them up." Blinky said.

"How?" Marcia asked.

"Well, they won't wake up for the dogs but they'll wake up for us!" Blinky replied.

"Why?" Flap asked.

Blinky smiled, "Because we'll make them an offer they can't ignore."

And so, we got plan B: operation wakeup prepared. I grabbed a nearby wooden plank and smiled, "This should do the trick, I can beat it against something. After all, musicianship is one of my strong points."

"Nice to know you aren't completely useless, dummy. I'll make sure to buy one of your albums when you grow up." Marcia laughed at me sarcastically.

"You can bang on that trash can over there." Splodge pointed out.

"Fantastic!" I replied as I ran up to the can, ready to hit it.

"Not yet, Shifty!" Blinky said. I stopped right about when I was going to hit it, "On the count of three, everyone. 1...2...3!"

And so I started bashing that trash can as if it were the crooks faces. It felt so great to let out all my pent-up anger. Blinky repeatedly screamed "WAKE UP" while Nutsy knocked on the door, Marcia knocked on the window, Splodge hopped up and down and Flap kept slamming the trash can lid.

Suddenly, Blinky noticed the dogs were awake, "Quick, Splodge. The dogs are coming!" And so, the dogs ran toward Splodge so he hopped over them and them they started chasing him.

I watched as the farmer opened his door and started chasing Nutsy. I was too paralyzed with fear to do anything and Nutsy shouted, "The humans are awake. Run! Run!"

And so I made a break for it. The scene that was unfolding before me was absolute chaos. Blinky tripped the farmer and he netted his own son by accident, the dogs were chasing Splodge and Blinky kept dodging the farmer's net.

"Someone's coming." The fat crook said.

"Quick! Hide!" The skinny crook shouted, running behind a barn and getting knocked down by Splodge and the dogs. The fat crook and I were running away and I screamed as the farmer tried netting me. Luckily, his net missed and the fat crook collided with Splodge and fell on the dogs. All kinds of insanity was happening. The boy was chasing Flap, Blinky was chasing the skinny crook, the dogs were chasing the fat crook. Nutsy and I were like the eye of the storm amidst the chaos.

Eventually both crooks ran into the electrical fence and got zapped and fell into the snares. A job well done, but we all felt so exhausted we just walked over to the nearby meadow and we all fell asleep on Splodge. I was especially tired, since I cried for 3-4 hours straight in the barn on top of running all night. The last thing I heard before falling asleep was the sound of police sirens. I couldn't help but smile as I knew the crooks were being hauled off to jail.

Soon, the sun began to rise and Blinky yawned and stretched, "Morning already?"

"I'm so stiff from all that running last night." Marcia said.

"Yeah, its made me hungry." Flap replied. I smiled and rolled my eyes a little. So typical of Flap to think about food, but I really couldn't blame him as I was rather hungry myself.

"Hungry or not, I just want to get far away from here." Nutsy replied.

I smiled a little, "Well, I'm glad we helped the apple farmer."

"At least the local animals won't get the blame." Splodge pointed out.

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, or us."

Blinky sounded rather annoyed, "But you would think he might have at least thanked us but thats humans for you." I wasn't sure what to make of that comment, considering the boy did show some sympathy to me and bandaged my tail in the barn.

Suddenly, we heard the farmer coming and we all scrambled to hide. "Where do you think they are, son?" he asked.

"They're hiding in those bushes, dad." The boy said.

"Lets put it down here, son." The farmer replied. I watched as they set down a picnic basket.

"Do you think they'll like it?" The boy asked.

"I hope so, after the good work they did us. They deserve a reward. Let's see, eucalyptus cake for the koalas." The farmer said, pulling out some eucalyptus cake. I sighed a bit, it was too bad I couldn't eat eucalyptus or Nutsy and I could share the cake.

"Carrots for the kangaroo." The boy added.

The farmer pulled out some cheese, "And the marsupial mouse will eat this."

The boy pulled out a pie, "And a pie for the dingo." My eyes went wide and my mouth watered, how did that boy know I had a sweet tooth?

"Fancy me blaming him when it was two humans all along." The farmer replied. I smiled, it was nice to hear an apology although I doubt the psychological trauma I endured in the barn would go away anytime soon.

The boy pulled out a cake, "And this is for the platypus. You think platypuses like cakes?" I immediately knew the answer to that one. One time, back when it was Blinky's gang vs the dingoes, we held a pie eating contest. Meatball was out sick so I volunteered to take his place. I was up against Flap and Flap beat me by a landslide. Never threw up so much in my whole life. I remember crying my eyes out from the tummyache and I was worried that I was going to die from my stomach exploding.

The next thing I knew, Flap grabbed the cake and wolfed it down. We all started laughing as Flap burped and we all walked over to the picnic basket and ate from it. Splodge was munching on his carrots while Marcia ate her cheese. Nutsy and Blinky shared the eucalyptus cake. I took a bite of the pie and I immediately knew it was cherry, my favorite flavor of pie. I was surprised that it wasn't apple pie, considering they owned an apple orchard but I enjoyed it anyway. By the time I was finished, my snout and chin was covered with cherry pie and much to everyone's surprise (and disgust), Nutsy kiss-licked the cherry pie residue off my face and nose. I just blushed, unsure how to react. I was beginning to think Nutsy had a crush on me. Usually she was the restrained and conservative one of our gang but for some reason, her primal animal instincts took a hold on her when she was around me. She was starting to act a little more touchy-feely with me and I actually felt flattered by it, maybe it was all part of growing up.

That night was really relaxing compared to last night. The night I was in the barn, I never cried so hard in my whole life. It was as if I was stripped of my childhood innocence and scarred for life but despite the scarring I decided to press on and be strong for the sake of my friends and family. I was sitting all alone at the top of a hill gazing at the stars in the night sky when Nutsy sat down next to me.

"Hi, Shifty. What are you doing all by yourself?" Nutsy asked me.

I smiled at her, "Oh, I was just thinking. Sometimes I just like to sit alone and think about things, you know?"

Nutsy smiled at me, "What kind of things do you think about?"

I sighed a little, "I wonder...if Danny really misses me, if Blinky really thinks of me as dead weight, why Marcia hates me so much. I...I don't mean to hurt or harm anyone, Nutsy. It's just that sometimes...no one understands me or my feelings. They all think I'm weird or something." I began to feel a lump in my throat when I felt Nutsy pull me into a warm hug. In an instant, it felt as if my tears dried as Nutsy hugged me tightly. I sniffled a bit, wiping my nose with my paw as Nutsy gazed into my soft eyes.

Before my tears could roll down my cheeks, Nutsy took her bandana off and used it to wipe at my tear-filled eyes, "Oh, please don't cry, Shifty. You know I hate to see you sad like this."

I smiled at Nutsy and hugged her back. We snuggled each other, feeling the warmth of our body heat burning up the outback night. Suddenly, a shooting star crossed the night sky, "Look, Nutsy. A shooting star. Make a wish! Make a wish!" I shouted excitedly, wagging my tail. Nutsy closed her eyes and I smiled at her, "So, what did you wish for?"

Nutsy smiled at me, "That this night could last forever."

I blushed and began to feel tears of joy filling my eyes. I closed my eyes and let the warm tears run down my cheeks when I felt a tongue gently licking at the tears on my left cheek. I opened up my eyes to see Nutsy gently lapping up my tears like a puppy dog as she holds me. I'm not sure what to make of it but I smile at her, "So, how do you like my tears?"

Nutsy giggled a bit, "Salty, yet strangely pleasant on the tongue. Very warm and soothing. At least they're tears of joy."

I grinned at Nutsy and laughed, "If only the others saw us now. It's a good thing they're asleep."

Nutsy chuckled, "You have a very good point, Shifty. If Marcia saw me licking your tears she just wouldn't be quiet about it."

I smiled at her and laughed. The two of us lay together and fell asleep cuddled up to each other. That night, I had the best sleep of my life.

The end. Credits roll.

_Girl if I ever lose my faith  
If I ever lose myself sometimes  
If I ever lose my hope  
If I ever lose my way in life  
There might be days when fear gets the best of me  
There might be days I  
Struggle to believe_

And girl,  
Will you be there beside me  
Will you be there to guide me  
Oohh.. to catch me if I fall  
Walk me safe through the fire  
Take us higher and higher  
Oohh  
And catch me if I fall

Girl, can you see me as I am  
Can you see the man I try to be  
There might be days I'm willing to  
Walk away  
Somewhere in my heart I know that  
I'll always stay  
And girl,  
Will you be there beside me  
_Will you be there to guide me  
Oohh.. to catch me if I fall  
Walk me safe through the fire  
Take us higher and higher  
Oohh and catch me if I fall  
And catch me if I fall  
So catch me if I fall  
Baby will you be there  
And oohh_

Will you be there beside me  
Will you be there to guide me  
To catch me if I fall  
Walk me safe through the fire  
Take us higher and higher to catch me if I fall  
Oohh so catch me me if I fall  
Oohh so catch me if I fall  
Oohh walk me safe through the fire  
Oohh  
If I fall  
-WET, If I Fall


End file.
